Apple faces lawsuit over Continuity Camera feature

A video app developer has accused Apple of stealing its technology for the feature that turns an iPhone into a webcam, filing a lawsuit in a federal court in New Jersey.

• London-based company Reincubate claims Apple copied its 2020 Camo app to build Continuity Camera
• The plaintiff alleges Apple encouraged Camo’s development, received technical details and data, then integrated a similar feature into iOS 16 in 2022
• Apple denies the allegations, saying Continuity Camera was developed by its internal engineers

Big tech companies often face lawsuits over patent infringements or borrowing features from smaller developers. This case focuses on Continuity Camera, which Apple launched with iOS 16 in 2022.

The core allegations

The plaintiff behind the lawsuit is Reincubate, a London-based company that released Camo in 2020. Camo lets users turn their iPhones and Android phones into high-quality webcams for video calls on desktops or laptops.

Apple’s Continuity Camera works similarly. It allows you to use your iPhone as a wireless webcam with a nearby Mac or MacBook logged into the same Apple ID.

Reincubate claims Apple actively encouraged the company to develop and promote Camo on iOS, all while obtaining technical details, beta versions, and market data. The lawsuit argues Apple then used this insider knowledge to build Continuity Camera, which debuted in iOS 16 under Apple’s own branding.

Accusations of “Sherlocking”

The video app maker accuses Apple of “Sherlocking” – a term for when Apple builds an app or feature that directly copies functionality originally offered by a third-party developer.

Reincubate CEO Aidan Fitzpatrick says Apple infringed on the company’s intellectual property and acted to squash competition instead of genuinely competing with Camo.

Apple responded with a statement saying it competes fairly and respects others’ intellectual property, emphasizing that Continuity Camera was created by Apple’s internal engineering teams.

Antitrust claims

Reincubate is also suing Apple on antitrust grounds, accusing it of violating U.S. laws by locking users into its ecosystem. The company is seeking monetary damages and court injunctions.

Apple is no stranger to legal battles over competition and antitrust issues. Tech giants frequently face accusations of abusing their market power to harm smaller competitors or restrict choices for users and developers.

The European Union has fined Apple hundreds of millions of euros under the Digital Markets Act for App Store restrictions deemed anti-competitive, including how developers can point users to alternative payment methods.

Meanwhile, Apple remains embroiled in a long-running antitrust battle with Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite.

Apple’s patent disputes

Apple has faced several patent lawsuits. A notable example is medical tech company Masimo proving that the blood oxygen sensor in the Apple Watch infringes on its pulse oximetry patents, leading to a U.S. import ban on affected watches in 2023.

Apple later restored the feature through a software redesign that processes data on the paired iPhone rather than the watch itself. This dispute is still ongoing.

The Continuity Camera feature is precisely the kind of hardware-software mashup Apple loves to add. Using the iPhone’s camera instead of a Mac’s built-in webcam delivers a clear quality boost, and the setup feels seamless and effortless. Yet this lawsuit raises questions about where true innovation begins – and who deserves credit for it.